Transcript Meso-American_Civ_Chapter_7_Presentation revised

World History: Connection to Today, Modern Era
Chapter 6
Pre-Columbian Civilizations
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Between A.D. 300 and A.D. 900, Mayan
civilization flourished from southern
Mexico through Central America.
In the 1400s, the Aztecs conquered most
of Mexico and built a highly developed
civilization.
By the 1500s, the Incas established a
centralized government in Peru.
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Some 30,000 years ago, Paleolithic hunters
crossed a land bridge to reach North America from
Asia.
The nomadic hunter-gatherers migrated eastward
and southward across the Americas.
The first Americans adapted to a variety of climates
and resources, ranging from the hot, wet climate
near the Equator to icy, treeless lands in the far
north.
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OLMECS
Were the earliest American
civilization
Had powerful priests and
aristocrats at the top of society
Built ceremonial centers
Spread influence through trade
Developed calendar
Introduced tradition of priestly
leadership and religious
devotion
MAYAS
Developed complex irrigation
methods for farming
Built towering pyramid
temples in Tikal and Chichen
Itza.
Traded extensively across
Middle America
Developed hieroglyphic
writing system
Developed accurate calendar
and numbering system
Abandoned cities around A.D.
900 (mysteriously)
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Other temple
platforms and the
Pyramid of the Sun
temple in the background. It has a
width over 700ft and
height of over 200ft.
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In the late 1200s, nomadic ancestors of the Aztecs
migrated into the Valley of Mexico. This is still
represented on the Mexican flag. (Eagle and Snake)
The Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlán. Later was
visited by Hernan Cortez and the Spanish.
In the 1400s, the Aztecs greatly expanded their
territory through conquests and alliances.
By 1500, the Aztec empire spread from the Gulf of
Mexico to the Pacific Ocean and numbered 30
million people.
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GOVERNMENT
AND SOCIETY
The empire had a single
ruler.
Long-distance traders
traveled around the
empire and beyond.
RELIGION
Priests were a special
class.
The sun god was the chief
Aztec god.
Aztecs practiced human
sacrifice on a massive
scale. (slaves)
LEARNING
Priests recorded Aztec
knowledge and ran
schools for sons of
nobles.
Some priests were
astronomers and/or
mathematicians.
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The Incas built a complex civilization that relied on order
and absolute authority.
They ran an efficient government with a chain of
command reaching to every village.
They imposed their own language and religion on the
people.
They created one of the great road systems in history,
allowing armies and news to travel rapidly around the
empire. Had runners that served as messengers.
They posted runners throughout the empire to carry news
of revolts and soldiers to quickly crush them.
They prohibited ordinary people from using the roads at
all.
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The Incas strictly regulated the lives of millions of people within
their empire.
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Government officials arranged marriages.
Community leaders assigned jobs to each family and
organized the community to work the land.
Farmers had to spend part of each year working land for the
emperor and the temples.
Government officials controlled the harvest.